Character legality for AL - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Undrhil Sep 12, 2015 15:05:51	I have seen it happen within the last week. A player sits down at the table with me (as a player) and I happen to notice their stats are off. I ask about it and find out that they are using rules from the playtest of D&D Next. In my case, a level 6 Bard with 20 Charisma. I asked about it. He had put both human variant +1s into CHA, took the Actor feat, which gives another +1, had the Charlatan background (which he said gives another +1 to CHA and I told him No, it doesn't) and the +2 from level 4. I said at most his CHA could be 19 at level 6. And that's assuming a starting 15 with +1 from Human and +1 from Actor and then the +2 from level 4. "Why does it matter? If he's having fun, let him have fun." It's bad enough that we have DMs who run characters at the table when they aren't needed, but people who just don't know the rules and who use outdated rules, are not fun for me. Thankfully, this player understood where he had made the mistakes and corrected his character. But he was level 6. That means he's been playing for about 2 months without anyone realizing his character was not AL legal. Is there any precedence for a player to audit other player's characters? I mean, can I ask people to let me look at their sheets so I can make sure everything is on the up and up? Or do I have to be a table judge or coordinator to do that?
#2 TheBreen Sep 12, 2015 16:20:49	Undrhil wrote:
#3 Kalani Sep 12, 2015 16:33:16	You can ask them, however they are not obligated to show you. Most newer players would be more than willing to show you if you explained your reasons for doing so was to help them to understand their logsheet, and show them any errors they may have made. More experienced AL players however, are less likely to show you simply because you ask. Only the DM or Store Organizer has the right to audit someone's logsheet, and even then - they cannot make any changes themselves. They can work with the player to make sure everything is correct, and failing that, can ask them to play a different character - but thats it. Not even the DM has the right to say - no sorry, I don't believe you earned X item legitimately - please remove it from your logsheet. The best they can do if they find the character suspicious, is ask them to play a different character.
(Reply to #3) tedrion	Kalani wrote:
#5 Kalani Sep 12, 2015 17:00:20	Hmm... I don't know the full story, but if a character is illegal - as per the following ruling (quoted below) the player is allowed to make the minimum changes to make them legal. Undesirable (but legal) features cannot be swapped out at the same time. You are stuck with them (unless you are less than 4th level, in which case you can still make use of the rebuilding rules). The recent Player's Handbook errata has clarified that warlock invocations are based on class level. What happens to characters who chose invocations based on their total character level and now have "illegal" invocations? If you were a bard/warlock and had previously been using your total character level to select your invocations, the rules have been clarified that only your total warlock level is used. If you have an invocation with a level requirement that is higher than your warlock level allows, you must make the minimal change of selecting a legal invocation, not converting your warlock levels to bard or other class (or vice versa). Please see our PHB errata post for more specifics.
#6 KelnozzDuskryyn Sep 16, 2015 22:49:02	Saw this in ALPG3 (pg 11): "If you see magic items of very high rarities or strange arrays of ability scores, you can ask players to provide documentation for the irregularities. If they cannot, feel free to restrict item use or ask them to use a standard ability score array. Point players to this guide for reference."
#7 Tyranthraxus Sep 17, 2015 0:18:42	Oh If I say a whole Plethora of items , as a DM Id probably ask to see where on the log sheet they were obtained. If a person hasnt been accurately filling out their log sheet, Id just say they didnt have the item.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Undrhil

Sep 12, 2015 15:05:51

I have seen it happen within the last week.

A player sits down at the table with me (as a player) and I happen to notice their stats are off. I ask about it and find out that they are using rules from the *playtest* of D&D Next. In my case, a level 6 Bard with 20 Charisma. I asked about it. He had put *both* human variant +1s into CHA, took the Actor feat, which gives another +1, had the Charlatan background (which he said gives another +1 to CHA and I told him No, it doesn't) and the +2 from level 4.

I said at most his CHA could be 19 at level 6. And that's assuming a starting 15 with +1 from Human and +1 from Actor and then the +2 from level 4.

"Why does it matter? If he's having fun, let him have fun."

It's bad enough that we have DMs who run characters at the table when they aren't needed, but people who just don't know the rules and who use outdated rules, are *not* fun for me.

Thankfully, this player understood where he had made the mistakes and corrected his character. But he was *level 6*. That means he's been playing for about 2 months without anyone realizing his character was not AL legal.

Is there any precedence for a player to audit other player's characters? I mean, can I ask people to let me look at their sheets so I can make sure everything is on the up and up? Or do I have to be a table judge or coordinator to do that?

TheBreen

Sep 12, 2015 16:20:49

Undrhil wrote:

Kalani

Sep 12, 2015 16:33:16

You can ask them, however they are not obligated to show you. Most newer players would be more than willing to show you if you explained your reasons for doing so was to help them to understand their logsheet, and show them any errors they may have made. More experienced AL players however, are less likely to show you simply because you ask.

Only the DM or Store Organizer has the right to audit someone's logsheet, and even then - they cannot make any changes themselves. They can work with the player to make sure everything is correct, and failing that, can ask them to play a different character - but thats it. Not even the DM has the right to say - no sorry, I don't believe you earned X item legitimately - please remove it from your logsheet. The best they can do if they find the character suspicious, is ask them to play a different character.

(Reply to #3)

tedrion

Kalani wrote:

Kalani

Sep 12, 2015 17:00:20

Hmm... I don't know the full story, but if a character is illegal - as per the following ruling (quoted below) the player is allowed to make the minimum changes to make them legal. Undesirable (but legal) features cannot be swapped out at the same time. You are stuck with them (unless you are less than 4th level, in which case you can still make use of the rebuilding rules).

The recent Player's Handbook errata has clarified that warlock invocations are based on class level. What happens to characters who chose invocations based on their total character level and now have "illegal" invocations?
If you were a bard/warlock and had previously been using your total character level to select your invocations, the rules have been clarified that only your total warlock level is used. If you have an invocation with a level requirement that is higher than your warlock level allows, you must make the minimal change of selecting a legal invocation, not converting your warlock levels to bard or other class (or vice versa).

Please see our PHB errata post for more specifics.

KelnozzDuskryyn

Sep 16, 2015 22:49:02

Saw this in ALPG3 (pg 11):

"If you see magic items of very high rarities or strange arrays of ability scores, you can ask players to provide documentation for the irregularities. If they cannot, feel free to restrict item use or ask them to use a standard ability score array. Point players to this guide for reference."

Tyranthraxus

Sep 17, 2015 0:18:42

Oh If I say a whole Plethora of items , as a DM Id probably ask to see where on the log sheet they were obtained. If a person hasnt been accurately filling out their log sheet, Id just say they didnt have the item.